Ejike Asiegbu ( Born on November 8, 1958; Age: 65 years old) is a Nigerian actor and film director best now for his role in the 1996 Nollywood movie Silent Night.
Ejike may not be as old as the likes of Pete Edochie and Olu Jacobs in the Nigerian movie industry but his contribution to the growth of the industry earns him a position among the foremost Nollywood veterans. Aside from his impact as an actor, Ejike served as President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria an umbrella union known for regulating and representing film actors in Nigeria and abroad.
Summary of Ejike Asiegbu’s Biography
- Full name: Ejike Asiegbu
- Gender: Male
- Date of birth: November 8, 1958
- Ejike Asiegbu’s Age: 65 years old
- Nationality: Nigerian
- Sexual Orientation: Straight
- Religion: Christianity
- Marital Status: Married
- Ejike Asiegbu’s’ Wife: Ogechi Asiegbu
- Ejike Asiegbu’s Children: Etochi Ejike Asiegbu
- Ejike Asiegbu’s Parents: Chief Sir J.U. Asiegbu and Mrs. Comfort Egobeke Asiegbu
- Ejike Asiegbu’s Net worth: $800,000 (est.)
- Famous for: Silent Night
- Ejike Asiegbu’s Instagram: ejikeasiegbu
Ejike Asiegbu Hails from Umuahia in Abia State
Born on November 8, 1958, Ejike is a native of Umuihi, the foremost community in Ihitte Clan, Umuahia, Abia State. He grew up in a family of six and his father, Chief Sir J.U. Asiegbu, was a retired electrical engineer who worked with Nigerian Electrical Power Authority (NEPA). His mother, whose name is Comfort Egobeke Asiegbu, was a well-known petty trader in their community.
Not much is known about Ejike Asiegbu’s family background and childhood activities that propelled his passion for acting. Still, we know for sure that he had quite a sound educational experience starting from his primary education, which he first had at Constitution Crescent Primary School in Aba, Abia State.
Letter completed it at St. Mary’s Primary School in Lokoja, Kogi State capital, after his family relocated to the northern state. After completing his primary school education, Ejike Asiegbu proceeded to Abdul Azeez Attah Memorial College, Okene in Kogi State, Nigeria, but completed his secondary school education at Christ the King College (CKC) in Onitsha, Anambra State, Nigeria, in 1980.
The Nollywood legend eventually got the privilege to further his education at the University of Port Harcourt in Rivers State, where he had a four-year course that offered him a Bachelor’s Degree in Theatre Arts in 1993.
He Had His First Movie Role in 1996
Having gained much-needed training as an actor, Ejike joined the Nigerian movie industry in 1996, but before his emergence into the industry, he worked as the personal assistant to the former Biafran leader, late Colonel Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, during the 1994 National Constitutional Conference in Abuja, Nigeria.
Taking a role in the Nollywood classic movie Silent Night made a significant impact on the veteran actor’s career in the industry. Not only did it usher him into his big break to the limelight, but it also availed him the opportunity to work with other veterans like Shegun Arinze, Ramsay Nouah, Kate Henshaw, and of course, the Nigerian stand-up comedian and actor Okey Bakassi.
Taking many advantages of his big break into the limelight, Ejike continued to take on more challenging roles and has so far starred in over 200 Nollywood movies, including the following:
- Abuja Boys
- Last Kiss
- Gossip Nation
- The Wrong Money
- Too Much Money
- Silent Whispers
- Be My Val
- Executive Connection
- The Wolves
- Squad Twenty-Three
- End of Money
- The Barons,
- State of Emergency
- Rituals
- Power Must Change Hands
- The Oracle
- A Time to Die
- Dirty Game
- Kingdom Authority, etc.
In the cause of his acting career, Ejike Asiegbu has won for himself some notable awards.
They include:
- Best Actor of the Year at the Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards,
- Best Actor in a Leading Role at the Best of Nollywood Awards,
- Best Actor in Nigeria at the City People Entertainment Awards,
- Most Prominent Actor in Nigeria at the Africa Movie Academy Awards.
Ejike Asiegbu is not only talented and skilful in acting, his ability to interpret his role very well and even make his character look real helped him explore other aspects of movie making. He is said to have also explored his expertise as a movie director in some best-selling Nigerian movies.
The Veteran Actor Is Married and Blessed with Four Kids
Aside from being one of Nollywood’s most successful and well-accomplished actors and directors, Ejike Asiegbu also has a successful marriage blessed with kids. He is happily married to his wife, Ogechi Asiegbu, a Marketing graduate of the Federal Polytechnic, Oko, in Anambra State.
Details about how Ejike and his wife met and the year they officially became a couple is not known, but records have it that they are blessed with four lovely children in which, one of them is Etochi Ejike Asiegbu. Etochi is a 17-year-old son of the veteran actor, who followed in his father’s footsteps to become an actor.
He began acting when he was five, with the KKB show – a popular kiddies show that aired on Silverbird television. He also played a role in the popular TV series “it’s a Crazy world.” Among the movies the child actor has also featured in include Little Ryan, My Soulmate, Walking With Shadows, Engaging Mimi, Nigerian Trade, After The I do’s, Home Too Far, and Anave.
Ejike Asiegbu’s son has won some notable awards, including the Child Best Actor in The Best of Nollywood Awards (BON) in 2015 and the Best English Actor in the City People Entertainment Award in 2017. While the young kid gets busy making his mark in the Nigerian movie world, he credits his father for helping him realize his talent quite early.
Has Ejike Asiegbu Retired from Acting?
Ejike Asiegbu is still very much active in the Nigerian movie industry. Although not much of his presence has been felt in movie scenes, the Nollywood veteran seems to pay more attention to movie-making behind the scene.
For three years, he was the National President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), and in 2021, he was elected alongside Monalisa Coker to the Board of the Audio Visual Rights Society of Nigeria (AVRS), which is Nigeria’s sole collective management organization for audio-visual works.
Reacting to his recent absence in the movie scene, the 65-year-old veteran actor revealed that since his emergence as AGN in 2005, movie makers are “scared” to give him roles. However, e has managed to appear in some recently released blockbuster movies like Kingdom Authority, Open Secret, Uncle Wayward, and a staged play titled Philomena.